LETTER | Teachers' Day manifesto for 2024

LETTER | Teachers' Day will be celebrated on May 16 May. Hopefully, it will be a day marked by great significance, re-setting milestones that can redeem the pride and glory of teaching and learning in the country.

Perhaps the following manifesto can be adapted to become the credo that will ignite hope among citizens who have long lamented the downhill slide in our education system.

• Teachers need to be given their rightful place in nation-building. They must enjoy par excellence remuneration, transparent and just career progression pathways and be celebrated as formators.

• Teachers must perform. Non-performing teachers must be shown the gate and not be quietly transferred for shelter in remote, unsung schools.

• Teachers must be tasked with compulsory up-skilling achievements through further and continuing education pursuits.

• Teachers in public and private schools must be banned from giving and earning from private tuition. Instead, employers should reward them with meritorious recognition for conducting free tuition or coaching the weaker students within the school compound outside of schooling hours.

• Parents must stop behaving overly protective and denying teachers the age-old, trusted confidence to discipline school children.

• Policymakers must rid the schools of little napoleons who often have proven to be a nuisance to the education ministries.

• Politicians must be banned from using schools and teachers to further their political agendas. Likewise, religious crusaders must be made out of bounds too.

• Our government must allow and nurture creativity to thrive so that teachers can play a meaningful and constructive role in producing entire generations of good citizens. The political meddling in schools and inhibiting teachers just to stay in power must be whistle-blown.

• Re-visit the hiring, training and firing parameters. It can no longer be driven by quota systems that are pinned on antiquated race or religious preferences.

In short, give back to teachers what they deserve and recognise them as vital nation-building players.

It is time to make Teachers' Day a significant, meaningful and widely celebrated national day.

Hopefully, our trusted Madani philosophy can rise to the occasion and be remembered as the saviour of Malaysia's plunging education system.

Let us as a nation of people proudly celebrate the 2024 Teachers' Day.

After all, without good buildings, schools can still thrive. But without great teachers, no school can exist.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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